


A hazy shade of winter

by grillantho



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Post-Canon, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28280058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grillantho/pseuds/grillantho
Summary: “Please?” Renzou asked. “What can I do to make you say yes?”Yukio shook his head,“There is nothing you can do that will make me even consider your offer.” He told him bluntly. Renzou wilted, did he have no heart?“Look man.. I’ll leave ya alone after this,” He looked Yukio in the eyes, “But please consider my offer? You’d really be doin’ me a favour here.”My secret santa gift for Rynoa! ❤️
Relationships: Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Okumura Yukio/Shima Renzou
Comments: 21
Kudos: 44
Collections: Ao no Exorcist Secret Santa 2020





	1. Snowflakes in the air

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rynoa29](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rynoa29/gifts).



“Hey teach!” Renzou called out to Yukio. “Can we talk for a sec?” He’d been trying to talk to the teen all day, but he kept missing his chance. It was the last class of the day and Renzou waited outside Yukio’s classroom. 

Yukio turned to him with a confused look on his face, “Why do you still call me that? I’m no longer your teacher.” After the _incident_ last year Yukio had been temporarily stripped of his teaching position and was placed on probation. Now he was just a normal highschool student. 

“How can I help you Shima?” Yukio asked while zipping up his book bag. Renzou let out a nervous laugh and wrung his hands together. “Ya see, I kinda told my parents that I had a boyfriend a few months ago? And now that I’m being forced into attending this year's Christmas dinner, they want to meet him.” 

“So? How is that my problem?” Yukio questioned. 

“Well, that’s where you come in.” Renzou replied. “Rin’s comin’ down to Kyoto with Bon this year, yeah?” Yukio nodded before narrowing his eyes. “I think I know where you’re going with this.” He sighed, “You want me to be your fake boyfriend?” 

Renzou gave him a pleading look, “It’d really help a lot, they’re already on my case for everything else. I can’t give them more ammunition.”

“Please? I’ll even cover your train ticket both ways.” Renzou begged. He really needed someone there to soften the blow of his family’s insults. The other teen sighed. 

“I don’t know if I can,” why did you even choose me?” Yukio asked. 

“You’re the hottest choice~” 

“Not interested.”

 _Damn, time to start plan B_. Renzou thought as he watched Yukio storm away. He really needed a date to this dinner. If he showed up empty handed.. A shiver went down his spine. He didn’t want to imagine how much fun Kinzou would have with that.

He wasn’t even planning on going to Kyoto for Christmas this year! Renzou already had a great excuse planned (super secret spy stuff) but he knew it was over the moment his father mentioned the fact that Ryuuji was going. Even though they weren’t little kids anymore, Ryuuji was still that unbreakable statue that Renzou was glued to. He was really hoping becoming a spy would lessen that burden but unfortunately it did not. 

Picking up his pace, he started down the academy steps. He was expecting that initial reaction from Yukio, but he still had hope that it would work. Renzou sighed and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. If he had Yukio with him, that would help him get out of dinner early, and maybe his family would lay off for once. 

He laughed out loud at the absurdity of that thought, _Yeah right._

Like his family would ever lay off.

* * *

Plan B was in fact, shameless begging. He caught Yukio in the middle of True Cross town, right near a chain of coffee shops. He was ready to bribe the teen with sweets and caffeine.

“Please?” Renzou asked. “What can I do to make you say yes?” 

Yukio shook his head,“There is nothing you can do that will make me even consider your offer.” He told him bluntly. Renzou wilted, did he have no heart? 

“Look man.. I’ll leave ya alone after this,” He looked Yukio in the eyes, “But please consider my offer? You’d really be doin’ me a favour here.” He searched his face for any sign of sympathy.

Shima bit down the anger that sprouted when he saw none. “We will only be there for a day! C’mon, you aren’t doing anything on Christmas? If money’s an issue I already told you that I would co-”

“That’s.. That’s not it.” Yukio said. Renzou was confused, why wouldn’t Yukio do it then? 

“Well then what’s the problem?” 

“I’m no good at social events. Throwing a whole fake boyfriend act into it just complicates it even further.”

Renzou laughed. _That_ was his problem? A hurt look crossed Yukio’s face before Renzou could reassure him. “You think that’s funny?” He demanded.

“Not at all, I just thought you didn’t like me.” Renzou replied, “I can help ya with your social skills. Trust me, we’ll both be well rehearsed actors before we go.” Yukio looked at him wearily.

“ _If_ we were to even attempt this, we’d need to create a plausible story behind how we met and every little detail.” 

“So we’ll have to meet up sometime before we go. Not a big deal.” Renzou said, not seeing the problem.

A cold gust of wind blew by and they both tugged their jackets closed further. “Maybe we should move this inside somewhere?” Yukio suggested. 

“Does that mean..?” 

“Yes. I’ll be your fake boyfriend.” 

Renzou cheered. “Thank you! Thank you! I promise you won’t regret this!” He held out a hand for Yukio to shake. When he just looked at Renzou in confusion he emphasised his outstretched hand. “C’mon, we gotta seal the deal”

“Why do I feel like I've just made a deal with the devil?” Yukio muttered as he shook Renzou’s hand.

Renzou winked. “I mean you’re his son, you tell me.” He pointed to the closest coffee shop, “Shall we head inside and discuss the details?” 

The shop was a small little cafe decorated for the christmas season. It had red and green tinsel hung around the door frame, and a small Christmas tree in the front window. Even though he had been attending True Cross academy for a little over a year, Renzou still hadn’t explored all of the shops in the neighbouring town. He was sorta busy with y’know, _trying not to be caught as a traitor._

The heavenly scent of freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate hit Renzou the moment Yukio opened the door. They stepped inside, and Renzou darted towards a table. He chose one by the christmas tree window and sat down. 

Yukio still stood in the doorway for a moment before following Renzou. They took off their coats before Renzou decided to go order from the front counter. “What d’ya want teach? My treat~”

Yukio looked at him in surprise, “I have enough money Shima, I can buy it myself-”

Renzou wagged a finger in Yukio’s face. “Nope.” He said, popping the ‘p’. “My idea, my treat. So, what’re you gettin’?” 

Yukio sighed and smiled softly at Renzou, “Could I get a coffee please?” Renzou nodded.

“Yeah! That it? You don’t want a dessert or anythin’?” He asked. Those baked goods smelled so good. Yukio shook his head, “I’m not a big fan of sweet things.” 

Renzou threw a hand over his heart dramatically, “What! How can you not like sweet things, are you sure you’re human?” He cried out, much to Yukio’s embarrassment. The few people in the shop turned to see what the noise was all about. 

“Renzou, we’re in public!” He hissed. Renzou waved him off before he stood up. “You not liking sweets is a crime, everyone must know that you have no taste buds.” 

“Well then, be prepared to yell at my brother tomorrow if you’re following that logic.” Yukio said. 

“Okumura hates sweets too?!” Renzou was shocked. Granted, he had never seen either of the twins eat something sweet. But to _hate_ them? No wonder they’re related to satan. 

“I’ll go get your coffee. How do you take it?”

“I like it as black as my soul.” Yukio deadpanned.

“Seriously? No milk or sugar?” Renzou shook his head, “You’re a weird one.”

Renzou came back a few moments later with coffee and a hot chocolate in both hands. He placed them on the table and ran back to the counter to grab the pastries he left behind. 

Yukio looked on in amusement when Renzou sat down with six different pastry bags in his hands. “How can one person eat that many deserts at once?” he asked. Renzou placed five of the bags on the table and opened up the one he kept. He pulled out a small cookie and shoved it into his mouth.

Renzou winked, “Jus’ watch me!” 

“Gross! Don’t talk while you’re chewing.” Yukio exclaimed. 

Renzou waited until he was done chewing before making a big deal of swallowing his mouthful of cookie. “Sorry.” 

“So. Shall we start?” Yukio asked before taking a cautionary sip of his coffee. Renzou noticed how his nose scrunched up when he promptly burnt his tongue. “Man, didn’t you know it would be hot?” He laughed.

Yukio glared at him playfully, “Don’t make me regret this.”

“Okay okay, gheeze man.” Renzou whined. He took his drink and started sipping on it. It was the perfect temperature. He smiled softly into his drink. 

“So. What’s our story?” Renzou asked. Yukio looked at him in confusion and tried to sip his coffee again.

“My parents are gonna ask us how we started datin’ and stuff like that. We gotta establish that before we go down”

Yukio nodded in understanding and gently placed his coffee on the table. Renzou pretended to be busy taking his donut out of the small bag so he could watch Yukio.

As creepy as it sounds, Yukio looks the best when he’s deep in thought. Renzou realized this during their time on the Dominus Liminis. When he’s lost in thought, his mask slips slightly.

Yukio's eyes soften and a bit of the tension leaves his shoulders. It’s not really a big difference, but Renzou loves seeing it. What he wouldn’t give to make him look like that normally-

Shaking his head to stop that thought in its tracks. He pulled the donut out and took a huge bite out of it. Yes, he went to Yukio for this absurd plan because he had a crush on the boy. But he honestly doesn’t expect anything to come from this. 

Renzou stamped on the tiny embers of hope that were burning deep in his chest. He couldn’t let himself get his hopes up. So he settled for the bare minimum, fake dating Yukio.

* * *

They came up with a foolproof plan: Say that they got closer while on the Dominus Liminis. They came up with what was acceptable, and what was not.

(“No you can _not_ kiss me Shima!”)

The two of them decided to take the train down with Ryuuji and Rin on christmas eve. Ryuuji, being the freak of nature he is, decided to force Renzou into accompanying him to the train station an entire hour ahead of time.

“C’mon Shima stop whining, we’re not here _that_ early”

“The train before ours hasn’t even come yet.” Reznou whined. Ryuuji sighed and checked his watch.

“Okay,” He started carefully, “We might be a bit early.” Ryuuji admitted, much to Renzou’s surprise.

“Since you rushed me out of the house at the crack of dawn, I wasn’t able to eat breakfast!” Renzou complained, “Can we go get food?”

“Shima, we left the dorms at 11:30. If you didn’t eat then, that’s your fault” Suguro replied. “And besides, Rin probably brought something for us.” He checked his phone, “The Okumura’s should be here in around ten minutes anyways. Just try an’ hold out ‘till then”

Renzou stuck his tongue out at Ryuuji before he pulled out his phone to try and pass the time.  
He was right in the middle of his Candy Crush game when Ryuuji nudged his shoulder. Shima looked up and saw Rin and Yukio waving to them. Rin had a small bag in his hands and Renzou was really hoping that it had food inside of it. 

“Hey! Looks like you guys are earlier than four-eyes over here” Rin laughed. Yukio shot his brother a look of annoyance, “Rin, it is basic etiquette to come early. Not everyone enjoys running to catch a train like you do.”

Renzou laughed and pointed to Ryuuji, “This guy made us leave so early today, I've been dying of starvation.” He looked to Rin, “Please tell me you’ve got some food man” he pleaded.

Rin held up the bag he was holding. “I made some bentos for the train, but I don’t mind if ya open it now” He fished through the bag for a second before handing Renzou a small pink bento box. 

“Thank you Okumura!” He cheered before opening the box and digging in. They chatted while Renzou ate his meal. Once he was done, Ryuuji checked the time on his phone. 

“Alright, let’s head out to the platform. It should be closeby, but I want to get seats all together.” And with that, Ryuuji stood up from the bench and grabbed Rin’s hand. The halfling blushed slightly before pulling Ryuuji along.

“Man, those two are meant for eachother.” Renzou remarked as he watched the couple in front of them walk away. He wished that he could find someone like that, and glancing at Yukio made his chest ache. 

“They really are.” Yukio replied quietly.

* * *

Once they were all safely seated on the train, Rin passed out the remaining bento boxes. Renzou pulled out his phone and continued his interrupted game of Candy Crush from earlier.

“Y’know, it’s a shame Konekomaru couldn’t join us this year” Ryuuji said, poking at his bento. “This’ll be our first Christmas without him, eh Shima” 

Renzou tore his eyes away from his phone screen for a second to nod in Ryuuji’s direction. “Yeah, it’ll definitely be weird this year. Apparently both Gozou and Jun aren’t able to come down this year.” he sighed, “Mom ‘n dad won’t be happy ‘bout that.”

“I’m excited!” Rin told them, “I love Ryu’s parents so this’ll be a great dinner.” He looked over to Yukio, “I bet you’re gonna have the best time Yukio. Socializing _and_ having to lie! Your two favourite things.” he mocked. Yukio kicked Rin’s shin.

“Not funny.” he grumbled.

“Sorry bro”

“So, tell me” Yukio changed the subject. “What goes on at the Shima family christmas dinner? You made it sound like it was torture just talking about it.” Renzou let out a low whistle before starting up his candy crush game again.

“On the surface they aren’t bad.” He said, “But you’ll see for yourself tomorrow night.” 

Yes! He finally beat the game he was playing. “We’ll only be there for a day so it won’t be bad.” Ryuuji said. _Oh if only you knew how wrong you were_ he thought.

“Yeah, you’re right Bon.” He said, putting on a smile. He turned towards the window, his smile was quickly dropping.

* * *

It had started snowing when they arrived at the inn. The sun had already started to set, the sky glowing orange. “Oi over here!” Kinzou called out from the door. He was grinning like mad and waving at them. 

Renzou let out a sigh and braced himself for the oncoming assault. “Renzou! There ya are!” Kinzou exclaimed before bounding over to him. The blonde threw Renzou into a headlock. “Agh! Kinzou, calm down!” Renzou exclaimed, as he slapped Kinzou’s arm. 

“Kinzou, let your brother go.” Tatsuma called out from the doorway. “At least let him get inside before attacking him” He laughed before walking down towards them. Kinzou dropped Renzou immediately. 

Renzou straightened up with a huff. “Man, you almost killed me!” he cried out. Kinzou waved him off before looking around at the rest of the group. “Awh, Koneko didn’t come down this year?” 

Ryuuji shook his head. “Nah, said somethin’ bout wanting to keep the girls company'' He threw an arm around Rin’s shoulders. “Besides, it’s kinda fun goin on a double date this year”

What the hell Bon?! Renzou cursed him. He was hoping to not discuss the topic of relationships until the following day (or never). Kinzou looked over at Renzou in surprise. “Where’s the hot chick you’re datin’?” he asked. 

“Uh Kin, did you not hear what I said at the last family phone call? I ain’t datin’ a woman.” Renzou said with a nervous laugh, eyes darting to Ryuuji. He was currently chatting with his boyfriend and father, so he didn’t notice the death glare Renzou was sending his way.

Bracing himself for anything Kinzou might say, he stepped closer to Yukio. “This is who i’m dating. You remember him, yeah?” Kinzou’s smile slipped slightly, before he slapped a hand on Yukio’s back. “Ah! Okay, I guess I zoned out when ya said that.” Missing Yukio’s wince, Kinzou threw his arm around Yukio’s shoulders.

“Welcome to the family!” Kinzou said. 

“Kinzou! I’m not marryin’ the guy just’ yet!” Renzou exclaimed, face heating up. Yukio placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, thanks for the warm welcome” 

“C’mon guys. Let’s head inside.” Ryuuji called out to them, “It’s gettin’ too cold to stay out here.” 

Renzou hummed in agreement, the snow was starting to come down pretty heavily. This would be his first white Christmas in a few years. Maybe this would shape up to be a decent Christmas.

* * *

“Renzou! Bon! Welcome!” Torako beamed. “I’m glad you made it.” She turned to the twins, “Boys! So nice to see you both again. Ryuuji, show them to their rooms.”

“Oh, sorry ma'am. Okumura and I are actually stayin’ at my folks’ place tonight. We jus’ came by to say hello'' Renzou said, dread already washing over him. “Sorry ‘bout any trouble my brother caused while waitin’ here for us.” 

Torako waved him off. “It’s no trouble really, Kinzou is an interesting young man.” She looked at him in amusement, “He played us a few of his band’s songs”

Oh dear lord. Renzou thought, _The poor woman._ “Yeah! I played her a few of my band’s hits! She loved ‘em!” Kinzou exclaimed before he checked his watch, “Oh crap, we gotta head out now. Mom was expecting us like twenty minutes ago.” 

Kinzou led the way from the Inn to the Shima family residence. Yukio and Renzou hung back a little bit. “So bro, lemme catch you up on what you’ve missed out on.”

Kinzou started pointing out random things and explaining their significance. After a few minutes of Kinzou talking Renzou sent an apologetic smile Yukio’s way. They walked a little slower so they could fall behind slightly. 

“So Shi- Renzou?” Yukio stuttered, and Renzou’s heart leap at hearing his name. They had agreed to use each other's given names and Renzou wasn’t sure if he’d survive. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Yukio hesitated, “I just realized something, how come you guys are celebrating Christmas?” Renzou was taken aback at that, he hadn’t realized it was out of the norm until Yukio brought it up. “Oh, uh you’re right it must be a little odd for buddhists to celebrate the birth of Christ, eh?” 

He laughed and rubbed at his neck, “Well, we don’t really celebrate Christmas all that much. No gift given’ or anything like that. We mostly just eat a lot of food and then watch cheesy christmas movies.” 

“It started one year after we got snowed in with nothin’ else to do.” Renzou said, remembering that day fondly. It was the first time his father watched a movie with him and didn’t complain the entire way through. 

“I think Bon’s family is having a dinner for the first time this year.” At the surprised look on Yukio’s face Renzou continued, “Once Bon’s parents found out that him and Rin were datin’, they insisted that they have a family Christmas dinner.” 

Yukio smiled, “That’s very nice of them. Rin was really excited to be invited this year.” He looked over to Renzou, “I wasn’t too disappointed that I had to come here for Christmas.” he admitted. “I suppose this isn’t the worst thing in the world.” 

Renzou’s heart almost exploded. “Ah! Don’t ya go fallin’ for me teach!~” he joked, nudging the other teen in the shoulder. Yukio scoffed and pushed him slightly. “As if.” 

“Alright, we’re here!” Kinzou called back to them. When had he gotten so far ahead of them? Renzou and Yukio jogged to catch up. They both wanted to get out of the cold as soon as possible, the snow was really getting out of hand.

Renzou grimaced slightly at the sight of his childhood home. He glanced over at Yukio before grabbing the teen’s hand. At the small protest he gave, Renzou shot him a look. “C’mon man, we agreed upon this!” he hissed.

Yukio’s cheeks flushed and he nodded reluctantly. “Fine, you’re right, Let’s just..” he pushed his glasses up further on his nose. “Get this over with already.” 

Renzou opened the front door and braced himself for any attacks, physical or verbal. To his surprise, Kinzou was the only one there, he was just taking off his boots. He looked over at them curiously, “What were ya doin’ out there, makin’ out?” 

“What he hell!? No!” Renzou exclaimed at the same time Yukio cried out “No, we were doing no such thing!” 

Kinzou raised his eyebrows and smirked at the two of them, “Hey, don’t stress! I won’t tell mom an’ dad” 

“Tell mom and dad what?” Yaozou asked and he walked around the corner. He noticed Renzou holding Yukio’s hand and his expression darkened. “Hello Renzou, is this the boy you were telling us about?” Renzou swallowed nervously and nodded his head.

“Nice to see you again Mr. Okumura. Welcome to our home.” He said. “You two will be in the same room, but there’s a sleeping bag on the floor for you Renzou.” 

“What!? Why do I have to sleep on the floor?” Renzou protested. His father looked at him sharply. “We cannot have a guest sleep on the floor, he will be taking your bed.” 

Not wanting to argue further, Renzou dropped it. He’d learnt that arguing with Yaozou Shima gets you nowhere. It took him 13 years to realize that. “Okay, that makes sense. You okay if Yuki an’ I go to drop off our bags now?” He asked. 

His father nodded and then they were off. “What the hell was that ‘Yuki’ crap? I never said you could call me that'' Yukio hissed once they had closed Renzou’s bedroom door. He just winked, “I think it’s cuter~” 

“Shut u-” Yukio was cut off by the door slamming open. “Who told you that you could just skip saying hello to me?” Yumi cried out. “Woah! Lil sis, calm down! I was just about to go an’ say hi. Calm down!” Renzou laughed, “This is Yukio Okumura,” he gestured to Yukio. “You met him at the wedding.” 

Yumi looked over behind Yukio and her face turned pink. “Oh god, I completely forgot you brought someone home.” She leaned in closer to Renzou, “Did I interrupt you two?” she whispered.

Renzou smacked her away. “Why does everyone think we’re makin’ out?!” He shouted. “We weren’t doin’ anything” 

Yumi smirked, “Okayy sure.” She then moved closer to Yukio before holding her hand up in the air. “Hey! Nice to see ya again.”

“Same to you.” Yukio replied.

“Okay, now that we’ve said our greetings can Yuki and I have some private time?” Renzou demanded. He grabbed his sister to start pulling her towards the door when he noticed something. “When’d you pierce your ears?” He exclaimed. 

Yumi slammed a hand over his mouth. “Shut up!” she hissed. “Mom and dad don’t know yet, I got them done with a friend.” Renzou licked her hand. “Ew!” she cried out. 

Renzou stuck his tongue out. “Please don’t tell mom and dad. They’d murder me for sure…” she shuddered. He gave her a thumbs up, “Sure thing” 

Renzou was totally pointing them out later at dinner tomorrow, his sister had snitched on him too many times for him to keep his word. “Now that that’s settled, It’s time for ya to go.” He pushed her out the door before slamming it. 

“So that’s my younger sister.” 

“She’s the one who likes Miwa, yes?” Yukio said with an amused tone. Renzou grinned. “Yeah! She’s been in love with him for as long as I can remember.”

* * *

They spent the rest of the night greeting Renzou’s family and eating dinner. Renzou’s family wasn’t too bad at all, and Kinzou was back to his overly-excited self by the time they emerged from Renzou’s bedroom. 

“Your brother reminds me of an energetic puppy.” Yukio pointed out when they returned to the bedroom. Renzou laughed. “He’s like a golden retriever with that hair of his.” Renzou added through the laughter

“So, ready for bed? I’ll go get changed in the bathroom.” Renzou said as he rifled through the bag he brought with him. They had both packed a single pair of pajamas and clothes for tomorrow. 

“Okay sure. Just be sure to knock before you enter” Yukio replied, grabbing his bag.

Renzou closed the door softly behind him and quietly made his way over to the bathroom down the hall. He quickly locked the door behind him and placed his pajamas on the counter beside the sink. 

He turned on the faucet and splashed his face with water. _Holy shit,_ he thought. _This is gonna be harder than I thought it’d be._

He thought that since it was fake, he wouldn’t let his mind wander. But all night, he kept imagining it was real. 

Shaking his head to get rid of any water, he quickly changed into his pajamas and glanced at himself. His roots were poking out slightly, he’d need to dye it again once he got back to the academy. He glanced down to his pajamas and his face fell.

He had grabbed the christmas ones without even thinking. He was wearing normal sweatpants, but his t-shirt was bright red and had a picture of a gingerbread man along with the words ‘Oh snap!’ 

He covered his face with his hands. _Dear god, kill me now._

Renzou sighed and grabbed his day clothes before leaving the bathroom. He had plastered a smile on his face when he returned to his room. “Yo, Yuki! Can I come in?” he asked through the door. 

He heard a soft sound of agreement through the door before he opened it. Yukio was sitting on the bed in a sweater and sweatpants.

“Welcome back.” Yukio greeted. He looked at Renzou’s shirt and stifled a laugh. 

“Thanks.” Renzou deadpanned. 

“Guess it’s time to set up the sleeping bag..” Renzou whined as he glared at the offending object. 

“You can take the bed if you’d like, I really don’t mind.” Yukio offered. Renzou waved him off and grabbed the sleeping bag. “It’s fine, I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.” An idea came to him and he turned back towards Yukio. 

“Unless.. You were offering to sleep in the bed together?”

“Goodnight Shima.”

* * *

When they woke up the next morning, everything seemed normal. They had breakfast together and were getting ready to walk over to the Inn so they could hang out with Rin and Ryuuji before dinner that night. 

That was when everything went to shit. 

A low rumbling was heard from outside and everyone started running around to get back inside. “What was that?” Renzou asked as he peered out from his bedroom. The lights suddenly flickered off and it got really cold. 

Yukio and Renzou made their way towards the living room. “Is everyone okay?” Juuzou asked as the two of them entered the room. “Yeah, what the hell happened?” Renzou questioned his brother, dreading the answer.

Juuzou sighed and rubbed a hand on his face. “Avalanche. We’re snowed in.”

“For how long!?” Yumi demanded.

“Probably until next week. Everyone’s off for christmas already so it’ll take until tomorrow for anyone to come and start clearing the snow.”

“You mean we’re stuck in here for the next couple of days?” Renzou asked, dread pooling in his stomach. 

“Yeah, we are.” Juuzou looked over to him with a smile, “It’ll be just like that Christmas ten years ago.” He slapped a hand on Renzou’s back. He bit back the wince.

“Trust me, time’ll fly right by.”

 _This is just fucking great._ Renzou thought, looking over to Yukio who seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

How were they going to keep up the charade for that long?


	2. Fall softly to the ground

Stupid mountains with their stupid avalanches. The city had informed them that in fact, they would not be able to send anyone until next week. 

If that wasn’t already absolutely horrible, Renzou had to not only put up with his family, but a screaming toddler as well. 

Okay, maybe that was too harsh. But Juuzou’s kid was already out of control. Their little family had stopped by that morning to drop some baking off and they had the unfortunate luck of being trapped inside the Shima house.

Renzou’s back was also stiff from having to sleep on the hardwood floor last night and… he was just really not having it that day. 

It was now mid-afternoon and Renzou was sitting in his room with Yukio. They had a few candles burning and were wearing their winter coats. With no heating it was _cold_ in the house.

“So. Shima, how are we gonna keep this up for an entire week?” Yukio asked him. Shima groaned in response. 

“I hate this. I can’t believe we’re trapped here.” He looked down at his shoes. “This is literally one of my worst nightmares come to life.” 

“At least you have me here,” Yukio said, before he frowned at his phone. “I still can’t get through to Rin. I hope they’re okay”

Renzou nodded. “They should be better off than we are, they’ve got Rin’s flames.”

It clicked at the same time for the both of them.

“Oh my god Rin can melt away the snow.” Renzou cheered. “We’ll be outta here by tomorrow!”

“Well, it might take a few days for him to melt away this much snow. I-” He was cut off by his cell phone ringing. He looked up at Renzou before answering it.

“Hello?” Yukio asked, before sagging with relief. “Okay, I’m putting you on speaker.” He tapped a button on his phone and placed it between the two of them on the bed. Renzou looked at Yukio in confusion, was it Rin?

“ _Hey Shima-” Rin’s voice crackled through the phone speakers. “-nd then we saw all of the sn-_ ” The service was already awful out here but now that they were covered in snow Rin kept cutting out. 

“Sorry Rin, we can barely hear ya.” Renzou said, “Listen though, we’ve got an idea.” 

“ _Sorry, can’t hear y-_ ” Rin yelled into the phone. Renzou sighed, this would be harder than he initially thought. 

“D’you think you could send a text to him while you still got service? Maybe that’ll be easier than tryin’ to talk over the phone?” Renzou suggested. The other teen nodded in agreement. 

“I’m just going to talk with my brother quickly before I hang up.” Yukio said before he took the phone off speakerphone and quietly left the room. 

Renzou flopped down onto his bed and threw an arm over his face. How were they going to keep up the charade for much longer? Yukio was nervous enough about having to pretend for only one full day, would they even make it to tomorrow? Renzou shuddered at the idea of his family finding out. God, that would be the icing on the goddamn cake.

* * *

“So! Wha’ christmas movies should we watch?” Kinzou asked through a mouth full of food. “Gross! Kin, chew your food first before talking!” Yumi cried out from across the table. 

Kinzou decided to ignore his sister’s pleas and chewed with his mouth open dramatically.   
Renzou threw his head into his hands. 

“Sorry my family’s completely crazy.” Renzou muttered to Yukio, who just chuckled quietly. “I remember it being like this at the monastery sometimes.” He said fondly. 

“Oh yeah,” Renzou said, sitting up straighter before turning to look at the teen beside him carefully. “Is there anythin’ you wanna do today? I know that you actually celebrate Christmas so this must not be very fun for ya.” 

“Rin and I have a few traditions,” Yukio looked down at his plate. “But they don’t really mean anything without him here.”

Renzou frowned, it was understandable why Yukio was so upset. From what he could gather, their birthday last year wasn’t all too great (aside from the party.) 

“Renzou! Which movie should we watch? Rudolph or that snowman one?” Kinzou yelled to him from across the room. “Why am I the one decidin’?” He questioned. 

“Cause! It’s a tie, even though Rudolph is the obvious choice!” Kinzou replied, much to Renzou’s chagrin. He looked at Yukio. “You choose.” 

“What? I haven’t seen either of those, how am I supposed to choose?” The entire room went silent, and they turned to Yukio with horrified expressions. 

“You,” Renzou started, “You haven’t seen those Christmas classics? Just what the hell have you been doin’ on Christmas?”

Yukio turned pink and looked down, “We didn’t have cable at the monastery. And we were also busy helping father with the Christmas service.” He said in a quiet tone.

“Well, we have time to watch ‘em all today, right?” Yumi asked. “Starting of course, with Frosty the snowman.” 

“We’re startin’ with Rudolph!” Kinzou argued. They both turned to Renzou. 

He sighed, the choice was up to him? “Fine uh,” He looked around the room. “We’ve started with Rudolph for the past five years Kin. It’s Frosty’s turn.” 

Half of the Shima family chereed. “Okay. We’ll meet in the family room in about an hour.” Juzou said, standing up from the table.

Yukio tapped Renzou’s shoulder. “What’s up?” He asked, turning back to the teen. “Rin called me back.” Yukio said, showing Rezou his phone screen. 

**_-gotcha bro! should b able to melt all the snow in a few days._**

“Can’t he work faster?” Renzou whined. “I wanna get outta here asap!” 

“Rin’s gonna start on it tomorrow, just be patient.” He adjusted his glasses. “I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.” 

Renzou sighed and put on a smile. “Welp, ready for a Shima family movie night?”

* * *

They managed to finish both Frosty the snowman and Rudolph along with a couple other movies before it was time for dinner. Thankfully, Renzou survived having to sit directly beside Yukio for an entire afternoon. His feelings were getting harder and harder to ignore. 

But Renzou couldn't risk being humiliated. If that meant tucking these feelings neatly into a box for the rest of eternity, that was fine by him. At least, that’s how he felt up until recently. 

It’s getting harder to ignore his feelings for the younger teen. Everytime Yukio talks to him, or even looks at him he forgets how to breathe for a moment. God, this was such a stupid idea trying to fake date him. 

It’s just made everything worse. 

The Christmas dinner Renzou was dreading had finally reared its ugly head. This year, they were only able to use the gas stove and boiled water to cook things so it was already off to a bad start. 

It wasn’t like the food was bad. Well, it wasn’t too bad. Kinzou had helped make it and he managed to dye the mashed potatoes purple. His brother never ceased to amaze. 

Walking into the dining room, he was pulled back by Yumi. “Stay here, ‘kay?” She said before running off. Confused, Renzou decided to just stay and see what she had to say when she got back. 

“Uh Sh-Renzou,” Yukio said from behind him, “What are you doing?” Renzou slapped a hand over his heart. “Gheeze! Give a guy a warnin’ before you give me a heart attack!” He exclaimed.

Before Yukio could reply, a faint cheer was heard from the hallway. Renzou looked over towards the sound and found his sister staring at him. “Uh sis? Why are ya just standin’ there?” He asked.

She simply pointed above his head. He glanced up and only saw the doorframe. He looked back at his sister.

“Uh Renzou?” Yukio muttered, Renzou turned to look at him and found that the teen was blushing fiercely. “What? What’s wrong?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

What was going on? Why was no one saying anything? He looked up again. _Oh. Oh no._

Mistletoe. Above them.Renzou looked at Yukio in panic. “Well uh, I guess we gotta kiss now?” He asked. 

Yukio nodded mutely. Renzou stepped closer and put his arm around Yukio’s waist. “Tell me if ya want me to stop.” he whispered as he leaned in closer. 

He put his hand on Yukio’s cheek and gently leaned into a kiss. The second that Yukio’s lips met his, Renzou pulled Yukio closer to his chest. 

“Agh! Do that somewhere else!” Kinzou cried out. The two teens jumped apart, faces bright red. 

“Kinzou honey, lay off them. I remember when I was a teen in love” Shima’s mother peered her head around the corner. She wiped her hands off on her apron before walking over to Renzou. 

“I’m very happy you were able to come home Renzou,” She said, cupping his cheek. “We’ve all missed you very much.” Renzou looked down in embarrassment. His mother was always very affectionate at the worst times. 

If he was getting chewed out by his father for not training hard enough, his mother was nowhere to be found. After embarrassing situations however, she was all over him. 

“Mom!” Renzou whined, stepping backwards. “Don’t embarrass me like that” 

Renzou turned his head away from his mom and noticed that Yukio was frozen with a hand over his mouth. Renzou tapped his shoulder. “Dude, you okay?” He asked quietly. Was Renzou not supposed to kiss him? 

Yukio blinked and looked at him. “O-oh yeah,” He cleared his throat and straightened up. “I’m totally fine.” 

“Renzou! Come to the table.” Yaozou called to them from the head of the table. Renzou sighed and started towards the table. “Ah, Renzou?” Yukio said from behind him. Renzou turned to him. “What’s up?”

Yukio held up their joined hands. 

Renzou looked at them in shock. When did that happen? Was it during the kiss? He started to let go, but Yukio held on tighter. 

“It’ll look suspicious now.” he whispered. 

Renzou let out a very manly squeak and nodded.

* * *

“So Renzou, tell me about how your work is going.” Yaozou asked. 

Renzou threw on a smile. “Oh y’know, same as ever dad.” he replied. Yaozou narrowed his eyes. “Well at least you’re enjoying yourself.” His eyes flickered over to Yukio. “I remember when Takezou was your age,” His father started. “He spent every second that he wasn’t studying training.” Renzou stiffened in his chair. 

Nothing has changed, it still feels as stuffy as ever inside the Shima family house. The rooms were just _too_ small to hold all of the disappointment his family has for him. He should’ve expected this, he was stupid to think he could handle being here again-

“Renzou does study hard.” Yukio said from beside him. Renzou’s eyes widened, what was he trying to do? “He acts like it’s all too tedious, but if he was truly as incompetent as you’re assuming he is,” Yukio leaned forwards, “Then he wouldn’t have been trusted as a spy by both sides'' His tone was cold, and steady. Everything Renzou wished he was when talking with his father.

“Teach, what the hell?” Renzou hissed. 

The room went silent, and Yaozou stood up. “Dad, c’mon. Sit back down.” Juuzou pleaded “We’ll change the subject, let’s just finish dinner together.” 

Yaozou looked at Juuzou, then Renzou and sighed before sitting back down. 

Conversation was at a minimum after that. The only person still chatting away was Kinzou.

Time was at a standstill for Renzou though, five minutes felt like an hour. When would it end? This was worse than any torture he could ever imagine. (and Lewin had threatened him with a lot when he returned last year)

“Yumi has pierced ears!” He blurted out in an attempt to divert all of the eyes on him. Everyone shifted to look over to his youngest sister. “You did _what_ ” Yaozou demanded. 

Yumi looked up, like a deer caught in headlights. She sent Renzou a murderous glare before she replied to her father. “Uhm yeah. I have pierced ears now.” She said nervously.

Yaozou narrowed his eyes but kept his mouth shut. Oh, Yumi was in for it. When Yaozou Shima was too angry to speak, that’s your cue to run.

Finally, after forty five painful minutes they were dismissed. 

“Well that was a shitshow” Renzou huffed as they walked into his room. He silently eyed the teen behind him, Yukio hadn’t spoken since the start of dinner. Was he regretting what he said earlier?

“Man, what you said earlier took some serious guts.” Renzou laughed. “Never in a million years would I be able to do-”

“Sorry!” Yukio blurted out. “I’m only sorry for ruining the dinner. I should have waited and spoken to Yaozou privately” He sat stiffly on the bed. “I told you I’m no good at social situations.”

Renzou sat down beside him. “Dude, you stood up for me at a family dinner. No one’s ever done that before. Normally they either agree with him or don’t wanna get yelled at themselves.”

He laughed bitterly, “I’m basically the family punching bag” He turned to look at Yukio. “So thanks, for stickin’ up for me.” 

“Seriously? No one’s defended you against him yet? Shima, you don’t deserve to have your every move scrutinized.” 

Renzou got up and started rifling through his dresser drawers. He searched for a moment before he found pajamas that would suit Yukio. “Yeah well, not everyone thinks the way that you do.” He tossed them at the teen. He had chosen a light gray t-shirt and soft green sweatpants. “Here, I figured that you’d want clean pajamas. I know how much you like things to be clean.” 

He grabbed a random shirt and pants for himself and started for the bathroom. Hopefully he wouldn’t run into anyone along the way. As he opened the door, Yukio spoke up. 

“Uh, about that kiss earlier?” He asked. Renzou froze. “Ah, well you don’t gotta worry about that.” He turned around to face Yukio. “‘M sorry for kissin’ ya without much warning” 

He then left before hearing Yukio’s response. God he was stupid. How could he kiss Yukio? Sure he never said no, but how do you say no in a situation like that? Renzou enjoyed it in the moment, but now he was deeply regretting it. 

What if he ruined their friendship? What would he do then? How could he-

“Ah, Renzou. Just the guy I was looking for.” Juuzou said, interrupting Renzou’s train of thought. 

“You know how hard it was to even get dad to agree with your boyfriend coming home? We started convincing him the day you dropped that bombshell and now,” Juuzou sighed. “It’s all ruined.” 

“Y’know,” Juuzou rubbed a hand down his face. “I fought Todou with Okumura last year. What happened from then until now? They don’t tell anyone outside of the Vatican anything.” 

“It’s a long story man.” Renzou replied, “You might be better off askin’ one of the higher ups. I wasn’t even there for half of it” _Lie_

“And, i’m sorry ‘bout the way Yuki talked to dad today.” _Another lie_

Juuzou smiled at him warmly. “Maybe tomorrow at breakfast you can both apologize. That way we can all enjoy the rest of the time we’re snowed in” Of course, Juuzou expects him to make peace with his father. 

“You know dad didn’t mean any harm by comparing you to Takezou, you two are just so si-” 

“No. We are not similar. Just because I have Yamantaka and I happen to look like him does not mean I’m Takezou 2.0!” He snapped.

“Renzou, is that really how you feel?” Juuzou asked carefully. All Renzou could do was nod. _Holy shit. I actually said that._ He thought, as he waited for his brother’s response. 

_Holy shit I said that._ The realisation arrived. His mind quickly supplied him with so many excuses, but all of them fell flat. He’d just have to accept the fact that he fucked up. 

“I.. I’m sorry if we’ve made you feel that way.” Juuzou finally said. “It’s just.. You have so much potential. Just like Takezou did. And, I guess we all thought we were helping.” 

“Anyways, I’ve got a baby to put to bed. Renzou,” He looked Renzou in the eye “Don’t forget that we’re all doing this for you.” 

And with that, his older brother pat him on the head and walked off towards his room. 

_Yeah right._ Renzou sneered. _You were doing it to try and get your brother back._ He rubbed his face. _At least I got outta that without a lecture._

He smirked, _Maybe Christmas miracles do happen._

Renzou quickly ran into the bathroom and changed into his pajamas. On his way back, he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

* * *

Scratch that previous statement on Christmas miracles. They’re a load of garbage. 

His sleeping bag was left under the window that was half open for some absurd reason. So now, it was soaking wet. 

Which meant that he had to either sleep in the same bed as Yukio, or sleep on the floor with only a thin sheet. Mind already made up, he layed out the sheet on the floor and grabbed his pillow. 

“Uh Renzou, you know there’s a bed right here, yeah?” Yukio said with a tone of amusement in his voice. “I don’t bite or anything, I promise.” 

“Ah! Well I didn’t wanna make ya uncomfortable or anythin’ so I just thought that i’d…'' he looked down at the _very_ thin sheet. “sleep on the floor.” he trailed off. The idea sounded way stupider when said out loud. 

He turned off the light and walked over to the bed. “Scooch over teach” He smirked before climbing in. 

“You better not kick me in my sleep Shima, I’ve had enough of that for one lifetime after sharing a bed with my brother.” 

“Nah, I don’t kick.” He moved closer to Yukio, “I cuddle~” 

“I’d rather sleep in the snow.” Yukio said bluntly. 

“Ouch! How you wound my poor heart” Renzou whined. 

“Shut up and go to sleep.” 

Renzou hummed and closed his eyes. 

He tried really hard to fall asleep, but he was suddenly _very_ aware of the teen lying just next to him. He waited until Yukio’s breathing evened out until he turned to face him. 

Renzou knew people look younger when they’re asleep, but he never knew how peaceful people looked. For the first time in a while, he let himself imagine a future with the teen. 

That night he dreamt of morning cuddles and going on dates.

* * *

“What d’ya mean your brother hasn’t finished clearing around Bon’s house yet?” Renzou spluttered. “With his flames he should’a been able to melt all the snow by this mornin’”

“First, don’t talk with food in your mouth or else you’ll choke.” Yukio started, “Second, Suguro has probably been distracting my brother.” Yukio sighed before pushing his glasses further up on his nose. “We’ll be stuck in here for a few more days at this rate.” 

“Well, granted your father doesn’t kill me first.” Yukio grimaced. 

“Hey, don’t sweat it, I promise I'll protect ya from any ambushes~” 

Before Yukio could respond, the bedroom door was flung open. A sopping wet Rin Okumura was in the doorway. 

“Rin?” Yukio exclaimed. “What.. I just got your text that you were gonna be a while longer!” He held up his phone. 

Rin frowned, “I sent you that like yesterday man.” He took off one of his gloves and pulled out his phone. “See, right here. 12:56 yesterday-”

“Oh cut the crap Okumura! How did ya get inside my house like _that_ ” Renzou asked, eyeing the puddles of water on the floor. 

Rin looked at him in confusion. “What d’you mean? Your mom let me in and told me where your room is.” 

Renzou wasn’t too surprised, his mother had seen weirder things.”Does that mean that the snow’s melted? Can we leave?” 

Rin refused to meet his eyes. “Well about that…” 

“What did you do Rin?” Yukio demanded. 

“Hey!” He put his hands up in defense. “It wasn’t my fault, the stupid city decided to stop the   
trains for a few days.” 

“This is the freakin’ worst!” Renzou whined. “We’re gonna be stuck here ‘till new years at this rate.” 

“At least you’ll have good food.” Rin sniffed the air, “Whatever is being cooked right now smells heavenly.” 

“We actually just finished eating. There might be some leftovers if you run.” Yukio told his brother. “When you’re finished eating we can chat about how to get back to the academy.”   
Rin nodded quickly before turning and sprinting out of the room. “Man, your brother acts like he hasn’t eaten in years” Renzou laughed.

Yukio joined him in laughing, “You’re so right!” 

They laughed for a few minutes before Renzou stood up and walked over to the window. His blinds were drawn, so they weren’t able to see outside. He pulled on the string to open the blinds and was met with an amazing sight.

The snow had melted! There were a few blue flames on the grass, but Renzou knew they were harmless. 

“It’s all melted, he actually did it.” Yukio said from behind him. “Now we just need to wait on the trains.” 

_So close yet so far_ Renzou thought as he looked out his window.

* * *

Rin had asked to talk with Renzou. Alone. 

Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but Rin had a certain look on his face that made Renzou nervous. What made his normally goofy classmate act like this?

“So, Shima, What are your intentions with my brother?” 

“What d’you mean?” Renzou asked him, “I ain’t actually datin’ your brother” 

“Oh cut the bullshit. I know you like him and he likes you right back.” Rin huffed, “You two are worse than Ryuuji and I were last year.” 

“So not! You two were insufferable!” Renzou protested. Rin laughed and shook his head. “If anyone’s unsufferable, it’s you two.” 

They looked each other in the eye and burst out into laughter. Rin clasped a hand on Renzou’s shoulder. “Look, I know you’re a good guy.” 

“But please don’t lead on my brother, he may seem smart but there’s only so much a book can teach ya.” 

Rin started towards the door, “Just talk with him, ‘kay?”

He shut the door, leaving Renzou standing there speechless. _What the hell was that?_ he thought. _When did Rin of all people become smart?_

Renzou stood there in silence for a few more minutes. He looked at his watch and saw it was getting pretty late in the day. He had to find Yukio and tell him that he should check Rin for a fever. 

The teen however, wasn’t in Renzou’s room, or the kitchen. He only had one more room to check and it was unfortunately populated by all of the people he wanted to avoid. 

He slid open the door and was met with an amazing sight. 

Yukio was sandwiched between Kinzou and Yumi on the couch and he had cards in his hand. “Welcome Renzou! What kept ya?” Juuzou called out from the floor. 

“Uh hey.” He glanced around the room. Why was everyone in here? “What ch’a playing?” He asked, only seeing the traditional fifty-two card deck out. 

“Daifugo.” Yumi replied. “Can you believe four-eyes here has never played?” Kinzou added on. 

Yukio’s face was priceless. He hadn’t seen such a pissed off look on his face since Rin broke six pairs of his glasses in a row two weeks ago. Renzou was tempted to pull out his phone and snap a photo. The fact that Yukio would probably reveal their secret to get back at him kept Renzou from doing so. 

“Ah, so of all the games to teach him you guys chose the most competitive one?” Renzou laughed, “Typical Shima family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> One more chapter to go <3


	3. So beautiful and pure

They got the call the next day from the city. Since all of the snow _mysteriously_ melted from the surrounding area, they felt safe enough to get the trains running again. The first train was set to leave at 6pm, and they only had around an hour to get down to the station. 

After running around like mad, they finally made it to the train station on time. After choosing their seats and getting settled in Renzou decided to close his eyes for a little bit. These past few days were hard on him.

If he could choose between having to hold a spider and reliving the past few days, he’d take the spider in a heartbeat. He couldn’t believe he had escaped unscathed (physically, he was damaged pretty badly mentally) 

He opened his eyes and stared out the window so he could watch the sunset. The sky was blazing red and orange and Renzou couldn’t tear his eyes away. Kyoto sunsets were always gorgeous to him. Maybe it was just the pollution in Tokyo, but they seemed to glow brighter out here. 

“Earth to Shima!” Ryuuji called out. “You there space cadet?” 

Renzou took one last glance at the sky before plastering on a grin. “What’s up?” 

“We’ve been asking ya for ten minutes if you want anythin’ to eat” Ryuuji said as he handed Renzou a bento. “Here, I figure you’re hungry.” 

“Did you make it?” Renzou asked cautiously.

Ryuuji smacked him. “No. Rin did, but so what? I’m not _that_ bad of a cook!” 

“You burnt water once Bon”

“Shut up. We don’t speak of that” 

Renzou laughed as he opened the bento box. “I wish you were able to cook for me all the time Okumura, I hate the convenience store food I gotta buy” 

They sat in comfortable silence while Renzou ate his bento. Yukio was sitting across from him typing away on his phone. The colours of the sky were burning brighter in the reflection of his glasses. 

The rest of the trip was nothing special, but Renzou never wanted it to end. For once that harsh wall that separated him from the rest of the group was gone and Renzou felt his mask slipping slightly. Since he had returned last year he had been trying his hardest to act like ‘old’ Renzou, but in that moment he had forgotten about that. 

Over the past few days, he had noticed that Yukio’s smiles were very similar to sunsets. They glow brilliantly, but if you blink you could miss it. 

Renzou never wanted Yukio to stop smiling.

* * *

“So. What now?” Yukio asked. They let Rin and Ryuuji go on ahead to the academy while they got coffee. 

“Huh?” Renzou asked, “What d’ya mean by that?” 

“I mean the kiss stupid. Can we finally talk about it?” 

Oh, oh no. This is the part where Yukio chews him out for kissing him. This is the part where he loses Yukio. 

“Ah, sure.” Renzou replied quietly. “I wasn’t thinking and I let myself get caught up in everything, I’m sorry” He bowed his head so he could avoid seeing Yukio’s angry face. 

“Calm down Re-” he faltered for a second. “Shima.” Yukio finished before he shot him a soft smile. “I’m not mad at you for that.” Renzou’s head snapped up.

“Wait really? But-”

“That’s why we need to talk.” Yukio looked into Renzou’s eyes. His heart started pounding so loudly, he wouldn’t be surprised if Yukio could hear it. “Uh,” Renzou started. “What type of conversation will this be? A good or bad one?” 

“That depends on your definition of good or bad.” Yukio replied, “I would like to say that the kiss was good.”

Yukio leaned closer over the table “What did you think of the kiss?” 

Renzou’s brain short-circuited. Was this real or just a stress induced hallucination? He probably fell asleep on the train and dreamt all of this. 

“Shima? You there?” Yukio asked, smile morphing into a frown. “This is the second time today that you’ve spaced out.” 

“Eh? Oh yeah I’m fine.” He smiled softly, “This is just..” He fiddled with the napkin that was on the table. “A lot to take in, y’know?”

A confused look washed over Yukio’s face. “Ah! I don’ mean it in a bad way” Renzou exclaimed, rushing to explain. “Don’t get the wrong idea, that kiss was _great_.” He winked at Yukio. “And i’d love to try that again sometime. I just wasn’t expectin’ ya to say that'' Renzou laughed nervously. 

Yukio looked at Renzou in amusement. “Ah I think I understand what you mean.” He fished through his pocket before standing up and walking over to stand beside Renzou. In his hand was a small bit of mistletoe. Renzou’s eyes widened and he felt his face heating up. _Where did he even get that?_

“I grabbed a bit off of the one hanging in your house.” 

Renzou looked up from the plastic plant to look at Yukio in mock amazement, “Dude you can read minds?” 

“No, I just assumed you’d wonder where I got it from.” Yukio replied bluntly before holding the mistletoe up in the air. He bent over and leaned in very close to Renzou’s face. “Hopefully this will clear up any doubts you may have.”

Before Renzou could so much as let out another (manly) squeak, Yukio pressed his lips against Renzou’s. The one hand Yukio had free moved to cup Renzou’s face. Time had stopped, all that Renzou could register was Yukio’s surprisingly soft hand on his face and his heart pounding loudly in his chest. 

Yukio pulled away and suddenly everything came flooding back. He opened his eyes to see Yukio staring right at him. 

“I’ll ask again, what did you think of the kiss.” Yukio asked Renzou with a smirk.

“It was damn good.” Renzou replied while standing up. “However,” He eyed the mistletoe. “I think that we may have to try again before I can form a full opinion.” 

He gently took the hand holding the mistletoe and lifted it back in the air. Renzou was very happy that they had chosen to sit around the corner away from the busy shop. He didn’t want to have to share this with anyone.

* * *

Renzou made it a tradition to always carry a bit of mistletoe in his pocket around Christmas time to make up for the one time Yukio surprised him with it. During the first year, Yukio was constantly flustered and on the lookout for a surprise kiss from his boyfriend. After a few years, he learnt how to skillfully avoid Renzou if they were out in public.

It had now been five years since the Christmas dinner from hell, and Renzou had actually enjoyed this year's dinner. His father was out on a mission and Kinzou had gone with, so it was a tiny bit quieter and less judgemental. Juuzou tended to be less intense if their father wasn’t around. He became _almost_ tolerable. 

Both of them weren’t able to sleep and Yukio had suggested a night walk. Seeing the perfect opportunity to act out his plan for this trip, Renzou readily agreed. He waited until his boyfriend had left the room to sneak the small velvet box from his bag and into his coat pocket. 

They set off into the forest holding hands and Renzou couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. 

As they walked, he patted his coat every so often to check on the ring. “Hey Ren, what’s down here?” Yukio asked, pointing to his right. 

Renzou peered around his boyfriend and became very confused, when had that gotten there? Granted, he wasn’t in this forest every single day anymore but still, he didn’t remember a staircase being in this area. 

Not sure actually,” He started. Checking his watch, he had thirty minutes before midnight. They had time to explore a little bit. “Wanna investigate?” He asked Yukio. 

“Okay sure, but we better not get lost again” Yukio looked at him with narrow eyes. Renzou lifted his hands in surrender. 

“That was one time Yuki, one time!” 

“Yeah, one time too many.”

Renzou gasped while he threw a hand over his face dramatically, “My love, how you wound me~” 

Yukio laughed and grabbed his free hand. “C’mon, let’s find out what’s over here already”

The steps had nothing exciting except for a few broken planks and about a million different ways to almost fall through the damn thing. After the disappointing discovery, they walked for a little while until they reached a clearing. 

As they walked closer, Renzou patted his coat pocket one last time just to make sure that the box was still in there. He had seen too many movies where the guy loses the ring box right before proposing and he did _not_ want to be that guy. 

He’d been waiting for the perfect moment and now he was pretty sure it couldn’t get better than this. As he looked around the clearing, it was just beautiful. The moonlight made the snow sparkle and even though it was almost midnight he could see every detail of Yukio’s face.

“Renzou! Are you listening? I asked you if you knew where we were?” 

Ah yeah, they might be slightly lost. 

“Don’t worry about it babe, I’ve got it under control.” Renzou replied before glancing at his watch. 

Two minutes until midnight, time to start. 

“Hey Yuki? These past five years have been the greatest in my life. Y’know that?” Renzou said as he pulled his boyfriend closer. Yukio’s face went a little pinker, but he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or not. 

“Ren-”

“Shh let me talk for a second.” Renzou interrupted. “God, I still can’t believe I actually asked you to be my fake boyfriend. And it worked!” He laughed, “I was completely head over heels for you since I met ya, y’know that?” 

Renzou let go of his boyfriend’s hand and took a small step back. “And, I never really put much thought into marriage before but,” He knelt one knee down on the ground before pulling out the box from his pocket. “Now I can’t stop thinkin’ about it.” 

He held up the box before finishing, “Yukio Okumura, would you do me the honour of marrying me? I can’t imagine myself with anyone but you.” 

Renzou looked up at Yukio and his heart stopped. He had a panicked expression on his face. Renzou’s face fell. “W-what’s up?” He asked, starting to get up. 

“No! Stay there!” Yukio exclaimed before kneeling down in front of Renzou. He fished through his pockets for a second before pulling out a box similar to the one Renzou was holding. 

“I had the same idea.” 

Renzou stared in shock at the box in his boyfriend’s (fiance’s?) hand for a few moments before a smile bloomed across his face. 

He shuffled closer to Yukio and checked his watch, _12:01_

Renzou grabbed Yukio’s free hand and gently took the ring out of the box. “Happy birthday Yuki” he whispered as he slid the ring onto his finger. “I love you.” 

Yukio smiled softly at Renzou before opening the other ring box and sliding it onto Renzou’s finger. 

“This doesn’t get you out of getting us lost, I hope you know that.” Yukio whispered before leaning in closer to Renzou. 

“Yeah, I know.” Renzou sighed before kissing his fiance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this little story! Feel free to leave a comment or Kudos if you enjoyed this :)
> 
> Merry Christmas and happy new year Rynoa! I'm very sorry that this came out later than I wanted it to, life got a little chaotic for me this past week lol.
> 
> This is the first multichapter fic I've ever finished! (alright it's only three chapters,,,) This was so much fun to write, I love fake dating au's so much lmao

**Author's Note:**

> Here you go Rynoa! I really hope you enjoyed this! :)


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